Stalled after just 2 weeks. HELP

I am extremely discouraged. I have been coming in under 1000 calories a day for several days because what I eat satisfies me. The scale has not budged since I weighed in Sunday morning. After losing so well the first 2 weeks, it has been very discouraging ...especially since I have been eating better....a LOT less food overall and staying under in all the categories. What I do eat is a lot of lean protein which is definitely causing me to be "bound up". I am having to take a few doses a day of metamucil caplets just to be able to "go" a little bit. I know I don't exercise much but it is a LOT more than I was doing before I started this. I just don't understand it. I was drinking almost 2 liters of my Soda Stream Cola before this and even cut down to just a few ounces a day. I eat very little fat compared to what I was eating which was MOSTLY all bad processed fatty foods. I just don't understand, the amount of calories I am taking in is a fraction of what I was taking in and all the food changes I have made have been for the better so why would I have totally stalled out after just 2 weeks? Can having very little in the way of bowel movements be part of this? At this point, I am seriously thinking about grabbing the McDouble Cheeseburger in my fridge for breakfast because when I was eating that stuff, I had no problem having to run to the bathroom several times a day. Any help here would be greatly appreciated because I feel like I am doing all this work just to maintain that initial 10lb loss.

I posted this in my news feed and am being told about starvation mode but so much of what I have read here in the discussions say that that isn't real and that it is all about CICO. I realize I should be eating more but with the drastic change in what I eat now REALLY does satisfy me. I am not feeling hungry and am not depriving myself of food. Frankly, I just can't POOP. All I can think to do is start eating some of the processed fatty food that I was eating so much of before to get my calories up but my brain tells me that is so counter productive. Is my body just going through an adjustment phase. People are telling me that I am not eating enough so my body is hanging on to everything I take in and not letting me lose.

Any help here is appreciated.
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Replies

  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,281 Member
    you know the answer to your own question. you know you're eating too little…we've all read this before. Also the guy up there is right.. weightloss is not constant.. the body doesn't lose on demand.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
    You are eating too little. Eating too little puts a good amount of stress on the body. Do not let the title below let you think that it is what it is in the title. This explains what happens when a person does eat too little when trying to loose weight. And although your situtation is only two weeks, I hope you do not continue eating like this for another two weeks or month, etc.

    edited to add: and your situation is not "starvation".

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    edited August 2016
    One quick note - eating fat is NOT bad for you and it likely plays a part in why you're not "going" like normal. Cutting fats is a great way to cut calories but fats are actually required for basic bodily functions from absorbing nutrients to making sure you get your waste out in a timely manner. You need to add healthy fats into your diet and you'll probably notice a huge change. And yeah, constipation can make you hold onto a little extra weight. Considering a "little extra weight" is all you could hope to truly lose in 2 weeks, it could be enough to make the difference. Focus on nutrition. Your macro goals for protein, fat, and carbs are set there for a reason. You need all 3 for your body to function properly.
  • pdm3547
    pdm3547 Posts: 1,057 Member
    PamWOhio wrote: »
    I posted this in my news feed and am being told about starvation mode but so much of what I have read here in the discussions say that that isn't real and that it is all about CICO.

    There really is no such thing. Here's a great article:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/meal-patterning-part-1-book-excerpt.html/

    You may also find this useful:
    cfq977ynbiek.jpg

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,453 Member
    Being overzealous in weight loss is why many people stall early. When you go on any deficit, your body responds by lower your metabolism. The higher the deficit, the lower it will go. Eventually it will start to compensate for the calories you are allowing in. This is to help prevent excessive catabolism of tissue (fat, muscle). Stalls aren't uncommon for high deficits and could continue for 2-4 weeks till the scale moves again.
    Don't go under 1200. Find calorie dense foods (usually foods with high fat like avocados) to help reach the calorie limit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • zataba
    zataba Posts: 3 Member
    You need to eat more calories. Your body will "hold" on to weight if it feels it is is not being fed enough. Also, if you have drastically changed your eating habits, it will take your body time to adjust. Two weeks is not a lot of time. Your body will do what it needs to do when it is ready. It's a process not a race. Trust the process. Make sure that you are drinking lots of water (I drink 1 gallon per day) and eating healthy oils (avocado, coconut, olive) each day? This will help facilitate things in the bathroom. Hang in there!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    What others said about the science of weight loss.

    You are not eying 1000 calories because you are not losing weight.

    Stop the Metamucil and eat fiber.

    Get some professional help because it sounds like you have some disordered thoughts and behaviors.
  • Bearbo27
    Bearbo27 Posts: 339 Member
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    1. Eating under 1000 cals a day is going to be too low for most people - there's no prize for cutting cals so low that you risk your health.
    2. Being constipated is one of the factors that might mean the scale doesn't move every day or every week. Plus hormones, monthly cycle, changes in eating or exercise routine....
    3. Cutting fat very low is probably contributing to your constipation. You almost certainly need to eat more to stay healthy, so it would be a great idea to add more fat - olive oil dressing in a salad or with roast veggies, avocado, nuts etc. Plus fruit and veg to give you fibre, make sure you stay hydrated - all these things should help keep things moving.
    4. If you want and like cheeseburgers, by all means eat one from time to time as long as it fits in your calorie goal (personally I can't think of anything more revolting to earn than yesterday's cheeseburger out of the fridge... but I'm not the one on your kitchen!).
    5. And there aren't only two ways to eat - "very healthy" vs "fatty processed"... I think you need to stop thinking in extremes and work on eating a good variety of food so you get enough nutrition to keep you healthy. And that can include "processed" stuff too!

    I really agree with this. You seem to have this idea that to lose weight you need to eat only super healthy foods. You mention the cheeseburger as if eating it will make you instantly fail. You can eat a cheeseburger and still lose weight. Heck I eat ice cream, candy, and other foods you might think are huge no no's and I lose weight. The biggest thing to do is to eat no less than 1200 calories. Depending on how much weight you need to lose, you may have a goal that is too aggressive. Try setting your goal to 1 lb per week and eat that many calories per day. Add in fiber and you may see weight loss once you get everything moving.
  • Return2Fit
    Return2Fit Posts: 226 Member
    edited August 2016
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Weight loss isn't linear. You will never lose every day or every week. Constipation means you're holding on to more waste.

    And yes, please start eating more. You're risking muscle loss and other serious health problems eating that low. Did you cut out all fat sources? That's important to your diet.
    ^^^^THIS^^^
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Being overzealous in weight loss is why many people stall early. When you go on any deficit, your body responds by lower your metabolism. The higher the deficit, the lower it will go. Eventually it will start to compensate for the calories you are allowing in. This is to help prevent excessive catabolism of tissue (fat, muscle). Stalls aren't uncommon for high deficits and could continue for 2-4 weeks till the scale moves again.
    Don't go under 1200. Find calorie dense foods (usually foods with high fat like avocados) to help reach the calorie limit.
    And ^^^This^^^


    There are numerous posts just like this on MFP, so do not feel like you're the only person eating too little and possibly stifling progress.

    We all over-reach at times.
    <3
  • zimazoom
    zimazoom Posts: 34 Member
    Don't give up. Anything worth while takes time and effort. You got this!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Also, be patient. If not losing weight for 3 days is making you frustrated and discouraged it might be good for you to either weigh once a week or educate yourself about fluctuations and track your weight on another site like Happy Scale or Trend Weight.
  • mikepicher
    mikepicher Posts: 23 Member
    I stalled a bit too. That flow diagram that PDM posed is awesome. I thought I was doing a good job at 'eating in the zone' but I wasn't. Once I started logging everything and then watching macro-nutrients in My Fitness Pal mobile (Nutrition from Menu and then 'Macros' tab) I could see that I was out of balance.

    Eat enough (like others have said) and eat in the zone. Because I do about 90 mins of activity / day I am trying to stay around 2400 cals (most days less, but also leaving my exercise as my calorie deficit) with a balance of 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein. Others may want something balanced across the board.

  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
    I also am plagued by constipation but only when eating at a deficit. I would swear that I eat exactly the same foods I always ate but smaller portions, yet I get plugged up every once in a while but only when restricting. My scale weight loss stalls for those couple if dsys. I can only conclude that it is related to the smaller quantity of food in my system.

    The cure for me is a nice steak dinner and a glass of wine or some other fatty meal like wings and beer. On that day I eat at maintenance so it doesn't have a great effect on real weight loss. It does allow me to see the scale move.

    Or maybe it's the wine and beer?
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
    Weight loss is not linear. You have not stalled. This takes time and patience.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    well, youre constipated cause your diet sucks. #sorrynotsorry

    theres no fresh fruit or veg, a whole lotta processed crap, and inaccurate weights and logging.

    forget where the freezer aisle is, go to the fresh meat, deli and produce sections, and buy real food.

    Because of the inaccurate weights, I would also wager you are eating more than you think you are. Add that in with the literal s.hit stuck inside you, there's your weight.

    I agree with all this except for the bold parts. Food type has nothing to with weight loss.